Tank.



F. T. SLOAN.

TANK.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9, 1910. 1,1 30,936. Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

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F. T. SLOAN.

TANK.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9, 1910.

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W/TNESSES: I/Vl/E/VTOH ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

F. T. SLOAN.

TANK. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9, 1910.

1,130,936. Patented Mar.9,1915.'

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TANK.

APPLICATION IILEI) FEB. 9, 1910.

1,1 30,936. Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

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A TTORNEYS F. T. SLOAN.

Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

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- INVENTOH ITTURIE YS WITNESSES w i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' FRANK '1'. SLOAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TANK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK T. SLOAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tanks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain novel and useful improvements in tanks, and more particularly in the construction and arrangement of tanks or baths used in factories and like places to contain shellac, varnish, paint, or other inflammable coating materials. In the use of the tanks referred to, articlesof various sorts are dipped into the tank containing the shellac or paint and then laid upon drains which are so arranged in relation to the'tank that the drip will flow back into the tank.

The object of my invention is to provide simple and compact means for automatically covering and emptying such tanks in case of fire, thereby preventing explosions, or the spreading of the fire by reason of the ignition of the inflammable material.

In carrying out my invention, it is my object to provide a cover for the tank which may be readily moved away laterally and secured in inoperative position, so that it will not interfere with the dipping operations, which is a desired factor in the work.

Another object is to provide means for automatically returning the cover over and upon the tank when the holding means is released by heat.

Still another object is to provide means whereby the cover may be most conveniently returned upon the tank when the dipping operations have been concluded, thereby lessening the possibility of the tank being left uncovered by negligent employees.

Another object of my invention is to provide automatic means, acting in conjunction with the automatic control of the cover, for emptying the tank. For this purpose, I have provided a valve so constructed as to reduce to a minimum the possibility of the parts becoming clogged by the gumming of the contents of the tank.

Still another object is to combine the whole into one article, so that it will be portable and readily set up and put into operation.

So far as I am aware, I am the first to accomplish these objects by any apparatus speclncation of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

Application filed February 9, 1910. Serial No. 542,878.

tional detail through the tank and valve and pipe connections; Fig. 5 is a similar view, taken on line 55 of Fig. 4:; and Fig. 6 is a cross section of a building showing, in elevation, my device installed on one of the floors.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail: A represents a side wall and B, B, B the floors of a building, on one of which floors is represented my apparatus, designated in whole at C, to which is connected the pipe D, which leads to a receiving vessel E, located outside the building, or it may be connected to a sewer pipe or other means of discharge exterior of the building.

The apparatus comprises a supporting frame, consisting of uprights 5,5, 6, 6, to which are connected the longitudinal members 7, 7", 8, 8, and the transverse members 9, 9, 10, 10, the uprights 5, 5 and 6, 6 being rigidly secured to the floor B by screws 11 passing through ofl sets 12 on said uprights or in any other suitable manner.

Between the longitudinal members 7 and 8 of the supporting frame I place the tank 13, which is provided with ears 13*, which are shown secured to the members 7 and 8 by screws 13. The tank may be of any desired shape and made of any suitable material, but my preferred form is circular in cross section and made of sheet metal or casting, having perpendicular sides, as at 13 and a downwardly sloping bottom portion 13 ,l1aving at the center thereof a circular opening 13", the edge being beveled as at 13 to act a a valve-seat for the valve to be hereinafter described. Connected to or made integral with the bottom 13 is a circular outlet 13 threaded to the lower inner edge of which is a short connecting pipe 14, which is threaded to the upper end of a coupling 15, which, at its lower end is threaded to the pipe D. The coupling 15 is made sufiiciently large to house the valve-operating parts shortly to be described.

Arranged to reciprocate within the upper end of the outlet 13 is the valve 16, the edge 7 of which is beveled to make a closeconnection with the valve seat 13. Threaded or otherwise secured to the valve 16 is the valve stem 17, which, at its opposite end, is bifurcated' as at 17*,17". Projeting from one side of'the valve stem 17 is a horizontally disposed pin 18, the purpose of which will presently appear.

Projecting transversely through the coupling 15 is a rock shaft 19, which rocks in bearmgs formed in the sides of the coupling. The shaft 19, at or near one end, is provided with an eccentric cam 19, which, on the rocking of the shaft 19 is adapted to raise the pin 18. One end of the shaft 19 projects outslde the coupling 15, and keyed thereto, by means of the set-screw 19 is the valve operating lever 19, which is itself operated by the weight 19. When the weighted lever 19 is held in a raised position it will be seen that the valve 16 will close by gravity, but the lowering of the lever 19 rocks the shaft 19 and, with it, the cam 19, thereby raising the pin 18 and throwingthe valve 16 ofi its seat 13.

Extending longitudinally of the frame of the apparatus, I provide, at each side of the tank 13, an inclined" trackway 20, 21, the

ends being screwed or otherwise secured to the uprights 5, 5, 6, 6 respectively.-

The apparatus further comprises a movable cover for the tank, consisting of the cover plate 22, to which are secured, in any suitable manner, the supports 23, 23, 24, 24 These supports may be of sheet metal or other suitable material and are angular in form, the upper or horizontally disposed portion being secured to the cover plate 22 and projecting outwardly so as to clear the longitudinal members 7 and'8 of the frame, and the perpendicularly disposed portions being provided with wheels 25, 25, 26, 26, said Wheels being grooved and adapted to travel on the inclined trackways 20, 21 respectively. The cover 22 is provided with a hand-hold. 27 and a trigger-catch 28.

Extending transversely of the frame of the apparatus I provide a rod 28, the ends of which are secured to the uprights 5 and 6. This rod carries a trigger 29, in the form. of a bell-crank, comprising the arm 29", notched at one end to lock with the catch 28, and the arm 29*, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the

arm 29 being provided with a stud 29.

- Also connected to'the rod 28, and held in place thereon'by the collar 29 is the triggeroperating arm 29", one end of which encircles the rod 29. The outer portion is wider and heavier than the part just mentioned and. is provided with a slot 29, within which the stud 29 of the arm 29 has limited movement. The parts 29 and 29 are separated by a collar 29 Connected to the heavy portion of the arm 29 is a chain 30, which when subjected to strain holds the trigger-operating arm 29 111 anelevated position and likewise the trigger-arm 29 in contact with the catch 28. From its point of connection with the trigger-operating arm 29 the chain 30 passes over an idler pulley 30 secured to the ceiling above the floor B, thence over an idler pulley 30 secured to the frame of the apparatus, and thence to a connection with the weighted lever 19. The chain 30 is prov ded with two or more links or connecting pleccs 30 of lead or, other suitable material readily fusible at a comparatively low tem; pcrature.

The operation of the device will be readily apparent from the foregoing description. With the levers 19 and 29 in the positions shown in Fig. 6, the valve 16 is closed, and assuming that the tank is filled and has remained closed during the night, the workman finds, in the morning, all the parts as shown in said figure except that the cover 22'will be in place over the tank as shown. in Fig. 3. Desiring to use the tank, he moves back the cover 22, the same moving. up the. inclined tracks, the catch 28 brushes under the arm 29 and is secured. thereto by the notch therein. It will be seenthat the tank may be opened and closed at any time by the Workman without disturbing the rest of the apparatus. Assuming now that at the end of the days work, the operator neglects to close the tank and a fire occurs in the building, the links 30 immediately fuse on a considerable rise in temperature due to the fire, the chain is parted at those points, the weighted lever 29 falls, the stud: 29 contacts, at the end. of the slot 29', with i the lever-29 depressing the arm 29*, raismg the tr1gger-arm 29 and clearing the catch 28. Thereupon, the cover 22 is car for example,

ried automatically into position over and covering the top of the tank. At the same moment that the chain is severed, the weighted lever 19 falls, turning the shaft 19 and with it the cam 19, which, in turn, raises the pin 18, and, with it, the valvestem 17, thereby throwing the valve 16 ofi its seat and. opening the outlet from the tank, whereupon all the combustible mate rial therein is quickly carried tlirou h the outlet and ipe coupling into the pipe D, and thence o the receiving vessel. E or to the sewer. i

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The combination with a dipping tank having a valved opening and thermostatie .cally controlled means for opening the valve,

of inclined rails juxtaposed to said tank, a

horizontally disposed cover for said tank,-

means depending from said cover upon which the latter is maintained in horizontal position while-movmg laterally upon said.

rails toward and away from the tank, and upon which it may be returned on said rails by gravity to close said tank, and thermostatically controlled means for releasably holding said cover at one side of said tank.

2. The combination with a dipping tank having a valved opening and thermostatically controlled means for opening the valve, of a frame within which the tank is fixed, inclined rails oppositely arranged, a cover provided with depending means for moving on said rails horizontally away from the tank, pivotally mounted counter-balanced means for engagement with said cover' to hold it normally to one side of the tank, and fusible holding means connected with said pivoted means to normally prevent the releasing of the cover.

3; The combination with a dipping tank having a valved opening and thermostatically controlled means for opening the valve, of inclined rails on opposite sides of the tank, a cover for the tank, standards of difierent length depending from and connected to the cover and having rollers at their lower ends for slidably supporting the cover upon the rails in horizontal position, and thermostatically controlled means for releasably holding the cover at one side of the tank, whereby the cover may be returned by gravity to close the tank.

FRANK T. SLOAN.

Witnesses:-

LAURA E. SMITH, Nnum FLAHERTY. 

